Aboard the Hogwarts Express

[Joey Stark]

((I would! It's a nice topic for people to introduce and get to know other characters as everyone's just meeting. I'll just go ahead and pick it up from where it was? I agree it would be nice to see everyone sorted!))

[Matilde Rayne]

((Sure, that sounds good! I agree, this is definitely a good topic for introductions/starting relationships with other characters and everything that'll lead on to other topics. Looking forward to your post, Joey!))

[Joey Stark]

Joey dragged his trunk through the train for a second time. There were no empty compartments and he felt too nervous to enter a full one. Especially since most students looked a lot older or were already talking heartedly. His legs were aching and his arm was starting to hurt from dragging his book-stuffed trunk up and down for so long. He was feeling a volatile mix of pure anxiety mixed with heady excitement and in response, his entire hair had turned his favourite shade of bright turquoise and was sticking up everywhere as if it couldn't contain its own excitement. He had attempted to revert it to black several times already but as soon as he was distracted it switched back so he had given up.

He found himself stuck behind the food trolley in front of a compartment with three students who also looked like first years, two girls and one other boy plus a big purring cat and a strikingly pretty owl. They were all looking at the cart deciding what to buy and Joey watched them anxiously make their purchases, took a deep breath and stepped into the compartment as the trolley wheeled away before he could back out.

'H-hi' he choked out 'I'm Joey. Can I...everywhere else is packed so, is it okay to sit in here? My legs hurt'. There. That wasn't so bad was it? He wondered if he could pet the cat...

[Matilde Rayne]

Caroline had just started to tear open her chocolate frog box when she heard another student come into the compartment. Her eyes widened and settled on the boy's vibrant turquoise hair, and several seconds passed before she realized she was staring. She blushed, feeling quite embarrassed at how rude she was being, and gave a small apologetic smile before saying, "Of course you can sit in here, Joey, we've plenty of room for another!"

She got to her feet quickly, putting her snacks down, and moved to help the newcomer with his trunk, observing, "I imagine anyone's legs would hurt, pulling these things around for so long, they're so heavy. Can I help you get your trunk up onto the rack?"

The girl once more felt embarrassed when she realized she hadn't yet introduced herself or her new friends. She hurriedly got out, "I'm Caroline, by the way! I'm a first year." She stopped herself to take a calming breath, then smiled warmly and continued, "And these two are Max and Alice. They're first years too! Are you also a first year?" Her voice dropped off before she added, "Actually, is that an okay thing to ask? Or am I supposed to know..."

The confidence she'd started feeling after talking with Max and Alice seemed to have dissipated as soon as the new student, Joey, had joined them, and she was back to wondering if she was asking foolish questions. Her uncle had helped a lot with explaining things, and she'd read plenty about Hogwarts and magic, but reading about the school and the wizarding world was one thing, while knowing how exactly she fit into it was another thing entirely. Caroline had a nagging suspicion it would be some time before she would stop second-guessing things, worrying about saying something wrong or offensive.

[Joey Stark]

Joey nearly wilted with relief when a curly haired girl with kind eyes who introduced herself as Caroline invited him in. He hadn't missed the reaction to his hair but he wasn't unused to it, if he hadn't had been so nervous he would have usually grinned and changed it in front of her but the stress of starting a new school, meeting all new people and anxiety about being sorted dampened the urge.

'Thanks!' he squeaked gratefully when Caroline offered to help him put his trunk on the rack, standing on his tiptoes to do so.

He nodded at each person as Caroline introduced them. She spoke warmly and seemed at ease until she asked if he was a first year and suddenly seemed nervous and unsure of the appropriateness of the question. Joey realised she wasn't as confident as he had first thought and the idea made him feel a lot better about himself. He rushed to reassure her. 'It's okay! I am a first year'. He sat down and wriggled to try and get comfortable. 'Don't worry, I don't think anyone new really knows what they're doing' he admitted quietly. 'My parents both went to Hogwarts and I still feel really lost. If you want a hint as to who's in a higher year though, look out for anyone with house colours on their stuff 'cause they've already been sorted...I'm assuming you're muggleborn? Not that there's anything wrong with that' he added hurriedly wanting to make clear he had no blood related prejudices.

He was unsure of the time but it already seemed liked they'd travelled some distance. 'Um actually d'you mind helping me with that again?' He pointed at his trunk sheepishly. 'Only I thought I might get changed soon. If I rush at the last minute I'll probably end up putting my robes on backwards or something...'. He moved towards his trunk when another thought struck him 'hey, when do you think we're allowed to legally use magic? It is officially term time right? What kind of wands does everyone have?' he asked the other three, his anxiety displaced by curiosity. 'I think wandlore is wicked cool, my mom always found Ollivander creepy but I think he's brilliant! Well alright, a bit weird he remembered the exact wand types my parents had!'

[Matilde Rayne]

After Joey's trunk had been safely put away, Caroline sat back down, feeling a lot better after the boy's reassurance. She hadn't been looking for house colors while walking down the train, but it was a good hint, she thought, for telling apart the first and second years, who didn't look all that different otherwise. Although, the distinction wouldn't matter all that much longer, she reminded herself, since they would soon be at Hogwarts, all the first years would have houses of their own, and things would start falling into place.

"That's a good assumption," she told Joey with a nod, when he mentioned her being Muggle-born. She had a nagging wonder what he meant by saying there was nothing wrong it it. Did some wizards think there was? Her uncle hadn't mentioned anything of the sort. Max was Muggle-born himself, and if Alice had a problem, she certainly hadn't said so. At the very least, it didn't seem the sort of thing she needed to worry about then and there, in present company, so she shrugged off the feeling.

"Oh, that's true! We must be getting close by now," Caroline agreed. "Probably time to get our robes on."

She went to help Joey with his trunk again, but stopped when Joey asked about term already starting and being able to use magic. It was a very good point, she thought. The professor who had delivered her Hogwarts letter had been clear about not using magic until term began, but right on the letter... She cheerfully noted, "We were only told that term begins the first of September. And it is the first of September."

Caroline nodded while Joey talked about wandlore and Ollivander, completely in agreement. She laughed on hearing about how Ollivander had even remembered the types of wands Joey's parents had, and shared, "He couldn't do that with my parents, obviously, but I can imagine it. I didn't really understand what was going on with the tape measure and everything, but it didn't take him long at all to find the right wand. Willow and unicorn hair, eleven and a half inches. Swishy, apparently." She paused, glancing back up at Joey's trunk. "Do you know a spell that could help with the trunks, then? I've read about a few charms, hover charms and levitation charms and locomotion charms, but I'm not sure which would even work here?"

[Leonie Hauri]

((I'd love to join in. Maybe I can move to your compartment?))

[Joey Stark]

((It would be awesome for you to join in Leonie, I'll have Joey make some kind of commotion that might draw your attention?))

[Leonie Hauri]

((That would work - and I'm curious to see what kind of commotion you will come up with))

[Joey Stark]

Joey nodded, interested, as Caroline described her wand. ‘My dad has a unicorn hair wand too! He’s an Auror and says barely any of the dark wizards he arrests have wand’s with that core.’ He told her excitedly, tossing out terms and notions that he only realised on reflection might not make a lot of sense to a muggle born. His nervousness went away when he talked about really interesting things, he sometimes forgot he was talking to another person completely. More calmly he told her ‘mine’s a Phoenix feather core, Ash, 10 inches and hard in flexibility. Merlin knows what he needs ALL of those measurements for, Wandlore seems really complicated. It would be amazing to be his apprentice or something don’t you think?”. He could talk about wands all day, he thought.

Until Caroline agreed to try a spell to help him get his trunk down. Joey felt a wave of anticipation thrum through him at the thought of trying out magic for himself. He ran through books on charms he’d already read in his head. He’d double-check but…his books were in his trunk.

“There’s meant to be a charm that makes heavy stuff as light as a feather but I don’t remember the incantation. I think a levitation charm would work quite well and it’s pretty basic magic so I reckon we could do it! The incantation is Wingardium Leviosa and the wand motion is like this” he demonstrated with a bit too much enthusiasm and thumped his right hand into one of the walls of the compartment. Hard. He froze for a second then gave a roar of pain and slumped back onto the seat heavily, cradling his hand.

“On second thoughts” he panted through gritted teeth “unicorn hair cores are mean to be good for healing spells if you fancied giving that a try instead…”